


Incredible How You Can See Right Through Me

by spacedust719



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Angst, Ben also has the alias of Warren Hardy, Ben is Ben Jones, Joe is like Benji from Mission Impossible movies in Ben’s ear, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Rating will change as well, Tags will be updated, There will be spy job related violence later - it will not be graphic, spy AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacedust719/pseuds/spacedust719
Summary: Ben gets a new assignment. He makes a contact that could be involved. Against his better judgement, he starts falling for the contact, Gwilym Lee.
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Gwilym Lee
Comments: 38
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have a moodboard on tumblr -[here](https://spacedustmazzello.tumblr.com/post/627521992624668672/incredible-how-you-can-see-right-through-me)

Ben flicks on his bathroom light. He blinks quickly as his eyes adjust. He lets out a heavy sigh taking in his appearance. It’s almost as bad as it feels. There is dried blood caked in his hair. Head lacerations always bleed so much. He moves his mouth around, wincing as he slightly reopens the wound on his lip. At least the other guy looks worse.

He grabs a washcloth, dampening it under the faucet. He dabs at the cut on his lip first while the water warms up. He bends down to splash some water on his face, figuring he should get the dirt off his face before he tries to clean the wounds too much just to let them get dirty again. 

When he stands up, he should really be more surprised to see another face in the mirror over his shoulder. Thankfully it’s just his boss, folder in hand. Another job.

Ben doesn’t bother asking how John was able to get into his flat. This time or the countless other times John has suddenly been in the room. Ben doubts there’s a security system John wouldn’t be able to find a way to get through. 

Ben leans his weight on one foot, “can it wait till I’ve stopped bleeding? Maybe even till my bruises are gone?” Ben loves his job. He took to the life of a spy much better than he thought he would. He’s just been home from his last assignment for literally 5 minutes. 

John tosses the folder on the bathroom counter, “people like scars.”

Ben frights the urge to roll his eyes, “they also make you stand out.”

John huffs a laugh, “so does your face, Jones. There’s a party in three days. Your suit will be ready the day before.” John reaches into his suit. He tosses a small, rather flat, tube on top of the folder. Ben picks it up and looks at it. There’s no label. Ben meets John’s eyes in the mirror again. John supplies, “so you don't scar.”

Ben shakes the tube, “cheers.”

“If you have any questions, answer them yourself.” With that John is gone again.

Ben shakes his head as he opens the tube of what seems to be ointment. It smells unlike any ointment he’s ever used. He decides to shower before putting it on.

As he cleans himself, he wonders what made John so cold. There’s a bet at the agency of what happened. Rumor has it that John will tell someone, as long as they guess correctly. Most theories involve death. Due to the lack of warmth in his eyes, Ben thinks John killed someone. They all have in the line of duty, but this seems different. Ben thinks John had to kill someone he cares about, so he’ll never try to win the bet.

After the warm shower, Ben is pretty awake so he decides to look over the assignment. Since it’s 3 am he should really be going to bed like a normal person. He can’t really remember what normal feels like so he pours himself a drink and settles down at the table with the file.

The first page is the standard dossier. His eyes drift to the photos clipped to the front of the folder. It’s of a man standing at the edge of a large yacht. He’s smiling with a glass of champagne in one hand. Ben would be smiling like that if he owned that yacht too. He goes back to read over the assignment. The yacht owner, Roger Taylor, is throwing a party to celebrate his acquiring a biotech company. The biotech company is developing, or possibly has developed, a new way of aerosolizing vaccines. It would make vaccinating people easier. Saves the risk of needles and that contamination. Another part of the company has developed a device that appears to be able to release a gas, or something aerosolized to a large crowd. The agency sees how it could also be turned into a biological weapon. He’s to attend the party to see if Taylor wants it himself or if he’s just the middleman and is planning to sell it to a third party.

Ben sighs. Why can’t there just be something good for humanity without people immediately wanting to use it for nefarious purposes. Thought, if that was the case, Ben would probably have to find a different career. 

He looks through more of the pictures, doing a double take on one of the head scientists. Definitely better looking than Ben would have thought a microbiologist would be. 

Ben stands up and stretches. He picks up the file, walks over to his fire place and flips it on. He walks back to the table and downs the rest of his drink. He puts down the glass. The fire is blazing pretty well now. He opens the grate and tosses in the file. He watches the fire till the file is completely ash. He uses the poker to bury the ashes amongst the others for good measure. He turns it back off before heading to bed.

++++++++

Ben straightens his tie and buttons his suit jacket in front of the bathroom mirror. There’s groaning in his ear. There’s no one else in the bathroom so he speaks at a normal volume, “what, Joe?”

Joe sounds cranky, “is that what you always look like?”

Ben huffs, “you’ve seen me plenty.”

“You just usually aren’t in black tie. I forget how well you clean up.”

Ben checks his hair, “I always look good.” He pulls on his jacket lapels, “coms and video are working.”

Joe fake laughs, “ha ha.” Ben hears shuffling. Joe whispers, “oh shit.”

Ben tenses. They’ve got cameras hidden around the mansion. The agency came in as part of a cleaning crew to prepare for the party. Ben worries they’ve been caught.

Joe is still whispering, “Rami is here.”

Ben rolls his eyes, “don’t do that. I thought our cover was blown.” Ben takes a deep breath and leaves the loo.

“No. You’re fine.” Joe is using his normal volume again.

Ben picks up a drink from a waiter’s tray. He uses the glass to cover his mouth, “why are you avoiding Rami?” Joe doesn’t reply. Ben makes his way through the crowd. Looking for any of the contacts in the file without making it obvious while he waits for Joe to give him an answer to his question or let him know if he sees anyone through the camera on his shirt button. He doesn’t want to ask again and get noticed talking to himself. 

Joe sounds like he’s speaking into a tube. Ben thinks he must be covering the mic with his hands, “how was I supposed to know his pants would rip and that he doesn’t wear underwear?”

Ben finishes his drink and places the empty glass on the bar. He speaks softly, moving his lips as little as possible, “I cannot listen to this right now.” Usually when Joe starts talking about Rami it goes on for a while.

A voice talks behind Ben, “are you talking to yourself?”

Ben turns around and is met by someone from the file. Of course it’s the handsome one. Obviously he heard Ben talking so he just cops up, “yes.”

Joe, in his ear, says, “forget the mission, talk to him.”

Then another voice that Ben recognizes speaks in his ear, “don’t listen to Joe.” It’s Rami. “You still need to do the mission” There’s a pause “But maybe you should talk to him to see if he knows anything.”

Ben doesn’t really need them to tell him how to do his job. He doesn’t know what information Rami knows, but Joe should recognize the man in front of him. 

Ben smiles and talks to him, “just trying to convince myself to do better at mingling.” He ignores the sounds of Joe and Rami arguing in his ear.

The man nods like he understands, “who are you considering mingling with?”

Ben licks over his lips, “can I order you a drink?”

The man, who Ben already knows is Gwilym Lee, smiles bashfully. 

Joe is back in his ear, “you smooth bastard.”

Instead of answering Ben, Gwilym just turns to the bar. A bartender immediately brings him a drink without being asked. The waiters are carrying around champagne and there’s a couple custom cocktails most guests are getting. Gwilym gets served whiskey neat. Ben tries to keep his face impassive. 

Unneededly, Rami says in a serious tone, “find out who he is.”

Ben orders a matching drink. He watches Gwilym as the bartender pour. Gwilym keeps looking at him out of the corner of his eye until the bartender hands Ben his drink.

Ben clinks his glass against Gwilym’s, “what do you think of the party?”

“I,” Gwilym starts. He doesn’t know who this guest is. He thought he knew everyone that would be coming. Maybe it’s someone from the marketing department. He’s incredibly handsome and seemingly confident. Gwil thinks he’d probably be good at something like that. He could also work for Mr. Taylor. He seems to be giving Gwil all of his attention, something Gwil isn’t used to. Fleetingly, Gwil thinks maybe he is looking at him this way because he also finds Gwil attractive. Gwil ignores that thought, “I am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I didn’t really have a choice in coming.”

Ben genuinely asks, “why is that?”

Gwil hesitates. He doesn’t like telling people at work who his dad is. It’s why he uses his mother’s last name. Most people at work find out anyways pretty quickly. Gwil suspects even more that this man works for Taylor. Gwil just offers, “I work at Red Industries.”

Ben smiles innocently. He feels slightly bad for once that he’s lying to this stranger. “What do you do there?”

Gwil smiles wide. He loves his work. He also likes that someone won’t know or think he got the job because his father owns, or now owned, the company. “I work in the research lab.” Gwil hesitates for a second but the man looks genuninely curious.

Ben can’t help smiling listening to Gwilym talk about his work. He just sounds so passionate. It sounds like it’s not just some job to him. Ben recognizes the phrase humoral and cellular immune responses to pulmonary pathogens from the file amid other scientific words that make Ben grateful Joe is recording their conversation so some scientist can decode the rest of it. Ben just listens and appreciates that Gwilym found a career he loves. Every so often, Ben gives encouragement for Gwilym to keep talking. It all sounds so fascinating coming from him. He starts to imagine what it would be like to have Gwilym tell him about how work was everyday.

Joe breaks his train of thought, “stop thinking about your dick and ask him some questions.” 

Ben really wishes he could tell Joe to piss off. He was not thinking with his dick.

Rami chimes in, “Joe’s rude, but right. This man could likely know more. His drink is low.”

A feeling of dread washes over Ben. The last thing he wants to do right now is use this man. He wants to get to know him. That’s not what he’s here for though.

Ben takes a deep breath, and straightens up. He smiles his most charming smile, “I could listen to you talk about this all day. Even if I have no idea what you’re saying.” Ben chuckles and hates himself a little bit. It’s not a lie but he’s still being disingenuous.

Gwil ducks his head a bit and smiles, “I won’t make you do that though.” Gwil sees his dad and Mr. Taylor walking towards them. He really hopes they aren’t coming over. He wants to keep talking to... Gwil is an idiot. He hasn’t even asked for a name. He got so engrossed in watching the man’s face as Gwil told him about his job, he didn’t think to ask. The man just seemed so interested in what Gwil was saying. Gwil just kept watching how his eyes would widen or narrow. He asked relevant questions. Gwil wants to keep talking. A rare feeling for him. He stops though as his dad steps next to him. He glances between his dad and the handsome man, thinking “don’t say it. Don’t say it” trying to will his dad not to call him son.

His dad smiles as he puts his arm around Gwil’s shoulders, “hello my boy.”

Gwil forces a smile.

Ben watches Gwilym, trying not to react to the fact that he’s Brian May’s son. As soon as he saw the curls, he knew who was approaching. The file didn’t have this family relation. Surely Ben wasn’t just distracted by the pretty face on Gwil’s page. 

Joe says “oh shit” in his ear so if it was in the file, Ben wasn’t the only one that missed it. 

Brian squeezes Gwil’s shoulder, “how are you?”

Gwil nods, “well. And yourself?”

“I’ve been having a lovely time.” Brian smiles at Ben, “I’m glad to see you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Roger looks him up and down, “yes. And who’s this keeping you company?”

Ben extends his hand, “Warren Hardy.” He gives the alias the agency made for the mission.

Roger’s large eyes narrow, “nice to meet you. I’m not sure I remember inviting you.”

“I’m here for James Beach. I’m his new personal assistant.”

“Oh” Roger looks less suspicious now, “Old fucker couldn’t come himself?”

Ben laughs, “he sent me with apologies.”

Roger takes a large drink, “he couldn’t keep up anyways. Why don’t you get a fresh drink then come catch me up on how Beach is doing? That is if Gwil doesn’t mind me stealing you.” Roger smiles ruefully at Gwil.

Gwil can feel the blush on his cheeks. He wants to keep talking with Warren. He doesn’t know why but the name doesn’t fully suit him.

Brian cuts in, “I’d actually like to talk to my son for a bit. Finish a conversation we were having before the party.”

Ben really wants to keep talking to Gwil. More so when he sees the look of dread on his face about having a conversation with his dad. Ben doesn’t know what’s happening but wants to spare Gwil from it. It’s not what he’s here for. Ben taps on the bar to get the bartender attention, “I’ll take a double.” He smirks at Roger, “you can afford that right?”

Roger laughs, “does Jim take that lip from you?”

Ben shrugs and thanks the bartender. He looks at Gwil, “find me later.” He gives him a wink before following after Roger.

++++++++

Ben walks in from the balcony. 

Joe sighs in his ear, “that was worthless. Thank god we turned James Beach. I couldn’t shoot the bullshit for that long.”

Ben really likes Joe but that’s really not helpful right now. He and Roger just spent 30 minutes talking about nothing outside. It’s not worthless like Joe said though. Ben feels comfortable enough to say, “Jim has told me a lot about your yacht.”

Roger grins, “subtle. You’re lucky I like any excuse to take her out. When do you want to go?”

Ben reaches into this jacket and pulls out a business card, “I can make anytime work. I’ll open up Jim’s schedule if you want. We can both come.”’

Roger takes the card, “I’ll be in touch. I have some other people I promised to take out as well.”

Ben notices Gwil taking a shot at the bar over Roger’s shoulder. He turns his attention back to Roger, “thanks for the drinks.”

Roger claps him on the shoulder, “send Jim my best.”

Ben starts to look around the crowd. Everyone seems more intoxicated than before. He looks over to faces to see if he sees anyone else from the file. There’s suddenly a firm hand on his elbow.

Ben looks up in Gwil’s eyes. They are more intense than before. He starts to smile.

Gwil wants to get to know Warren but he also needs a distraction. He looks over Warren’s face. He swallows hard. He summons all his courage, “are you attracted to men?”

Ben blinks quickly. He wasn’t expecting this. Ben smiles and nods.

Gwil nods. His eyes move down to Warren’s lips and he licks his own, “do you want to get out of here?”

Ben hates the encouragement coming from his ear piece. He absolutely wants to leave with Gwil, but as himself. He tells himself again that’s not why he’s here. It’s not about him. He leans against Gwil, “your place or mine?”

Gwil exhales, “yours.” Gwil lifts his hand, almost cups Warren’s face. He curls his fingers then goes for it, “meet me at the valet.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a moodboard on tumblr -[here](https://spacedustmazzello.tumblr.com/post/627521992624668672/incredible-how-you-can-see-right-through-me)
> 
> Just as a reminder - Ben’s alias is Warren Hardy

As soon as Gwilym was out of ear shot, Ben spoke quickly, “Joe, you’d better get that flat ready quickly.” They were about an hour away from a staged flat for agents to use when they were on assignment. He hadn’t been planning on using it. They always used the same floor plan so agents would look at home if they suddenly had to use it. Any of the agents could walk around, know exactly where the furniture is, the dishes, the hidden weapons.

Rami answers instead of Joe, “we’re on our way for the finishing touches.”

Ben starts pacing as he waits by the valet for Gwilym. Based on the look in his eyes, he thinks Gwilym wants sex. Ben’s not opposed to that. He’d be completely on board if he wasn’t working, even though they just met. He just knows the flat is going to be filled with recording equipment. Ben rolls his eyes. Joe will be listening in. He doesn’t want to hear anything Joe has to say about what he could possibly hear. Ben would consider asking Joe to turn them off. He doesn’t think he could convince Joe to do that with Rami listening. He also doesn’t want to get Joe in trouble. He really doesn’t want what could happen to be a public event. Ben turns and sees Gwilym. He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. He holds his hand out for him.

Gwil sees Warren waiting for him. He’s pacing. Gwil worries that maybe he’s changed his mind about leaving with him. Then Warren turns. Gwil almost stops in his tracks seeing the smile on Warren’s face. Gwilym grins and reaches out for Warren’s extended hand. He chuckles when Warren opens the passenger door for him.

“Why thank you.” Gwil smiles at Warren as he gets in the car. He keeps his eyes on Warren as he walks in front of the car. He’s trying to read his expression. He’s not sure if it’s because they just met and he can’t tell, but Gwil is unable to decide if Warren looks excited or upset. Gwil really hopes its the former. 

Ben starts the car. He puts the car into drive then reaches his hand out for Gwil’s again.

Gwil grins as he takes Warren’s hand. He thinks this is a good sign for Warren being excited. 

Ben has a hard time tearing his eyes from Gwil order to drive. They sit in comfortable silence as they head back into the heart of the city. Ben feels like any ordinary bloke bringing someone home. That is until he hears Joe in his ear asking what size condoms he needs. He tries not to clench his jaw when Rami shushes Joe to ask what size he thinks Gwilym needs.

++++++++

Ben fumbles with the key. He feels jittery. He’s never been like this on an assignment. He’s also never wanted to quit so bad. He doesn’t know why he’s being so ridiculous. He just met Gwilym. He’s seduced people before and never had an issue. He’s volunteered to seduce men and women. It’s always been fine. He’s always been fine. It’s even been fun for him. He’s been attracted to some of them too. Every time he lies to Gwilym though, he feels a pain in his chest. 

He gets the door unlocked finally. He smiles at Gwilym over his shoulder. Gwilym was completely silent on the ride here. He’d been chatty until they left. Ben wonders if he’s changing his mind. 

Ben steps into the flat. He’s always impressed that the flats look so lived in. He sees that Joe or Rami left a half drank cup of tea on the kitchen counter. Nice touch. He reaches into his pocket. He feels the watch in there. He remembered he had this watch in his glove compartment on the way here. He can press one of the dials and block any recording devices within 100 meters. Joe is going to be pissed Ben used his own invention against him. Ben presses the dial and turns to Gwil. 

“Do you-“ 

He’s cut off by Gwilym reaching up to cup his face as he leans into kiss Ben. That answers if he’s changed his mind.

Ben places a hand on Gwilym’s chest to stop him, “hey.”

Gwil leans in a little bit more.

Ben smiles softly at him, pressing slightly harder on Gwilym’s firm chest, “this clearly seems to be in reaction to something that happened tonight.”

“Yeah” Gwil nods slightly. Gwil should explain himself. He also really wants to know what Warren’s lips feel like against his own. He couldn’t stop looking at them on the way here. He starts to lean in again.

Ben rests his forehead against Gwilym’s, “listen, you can use me. Or you can talk to me. I’d like to get to know you. I’ll listen if you want someone to talk to about whatever.”

Gwil sighs. 

Ben thinks Gwilym is going to try and kiss him again. 

Gwil moves his hands to pull Warren against him. He hugs him close.

Ben slowly wraps his arms around Gwilym’s waist. He feels him relax against him. Ben smiles and nuzzles against Gwilym’s chest. 

Gwil rests his head on Warren’s, “I got in a fight with my father.”

Ben nods slightly, “I thought that might be the case.”

Gwil takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He wants to tell Warren what happened. Just standing here is nice though. 

Ben mumbles against Gwilym, “you don’t have to say if you don’t want.”

Gwil pulls back slightly, “can I take my tie off first?”

Ben smiles, “of course.” He steps back from Gwilym, “Can I get you anything? Do you want something to change into?”

Gwil looks Warren up and down. He tries to fight it, but he laughs a little, “I’m not sure you have long enough pants.”

Ben huffs indignantly, “we aren’t going anywhere. I have joggers long enough to sit on the couch.”

Gwil laughs, “alright then.”

Ben waves his hand, “come here then.” He starts walking back towards the bedroom. 

Gwil looks around. It’s a really nice flat. A lot nicer than he thought a personal assistant could afford. The car was very nice too. Gwil hasn’t seen any personal pictures but he wonders if there’s some family money. He looks at Warren walking in front of him. His hair looks soft. His neck looks strong. Gwil wonders what the rest of Warren looks like and if he’ll find out tonight. 

He’s fine if he doesn’t though. He was all for burying his emotions in a hookup. Gwil smiles to himself, thinking about how staying up just talking with Warren sounds just as nice. Gwil reaches out to place his hand on the nape of Warren’s neck.

Ben’s eyes flutter at the touch. He bites his lip so he doesn’t moan. He wants to keep walking so Gwilym keeps his hand on him, but he’s already at the wardrobe. He opens it and steps out of the way, “take what you need.” Ben pushes up to kiss Gwilym’s cheek. He bites his lip then smiles, “I’ll let you change.” 

Gwil watches Warren leave the room. He keeps watching the door for a moment after it's closed. Barely anything has happened, but Gwil doesn’t want the night to end anytime soon.

Ben quickly changes after Gwilym does. He hangs up both their suits. He really hopes that Joe and Rami aren’t somehow trying to set up additional surveillance. He takes his earpiece out and hides it in a drawer. Ben hopes he has enough trust with the agency that he can just report what happens later. Ben rubs his sternum before opening the door to join Gwilym in the living room.

Ben has placed his joggers just enough lower than his shirt that a thin line of skin shows when he walks. He tells himself he’s just going to do his job and seduce Gwilym. He’s going to skip all the bonding stuff. He’s got a mission. He’s good at his job. He can do this.

Then Gwil hears the door open and turns to look at Ben. Gwil smiles slightly at him. His eyes flicker down to Ben’s slightly exposed stomach. Ben throws out his professionalism as he watches blush bloom on Gwilym’s cheeks. Ben sits down on the couch next to him, at an angle to better watch his face. Gwilym’s hand is relaxed, resting on his thigh. Ben reaches over and watches his finger brush along the length of Gwilym’s hand and index finger. He slowly lifts his eyes to look up at Gwil. He speaks quietly, “Do you want to talk about it, Gwilym? What’d you fight about with your father?”

Gwil swallows hard. He flexes his hand. It’s tingling from where Warren touched it. He tilts his head slightly, “call me Gwil.”

Ben smiles, “Gwil? I like that.” Ben bites his lip. He has the worst idea he’s possibly ever had, “call me Ben.”

Gwil frowns, “Ben?” He scratches his beard, “why Ben?”

Ben was never given a middle name for his alias. He licks his lips, “it’s my middle name. It’s what I’ve gone by with my close friends.” Ben feels a twist in his gut and heart when Gwil smiles wide at that. 

Gwil moves slightly closer to Ben, “my father has been” Gwil sighs, “ever since I was little, my father has had this plan for my life. He told me how great it would be when we were working together.” Gwil pauses. He rubs his tongue over his teeth. He doesn’t usually talk to people about this stuff. He knows he should probably talk to someone professional about it. “My father wasn’t home much. He was always working. The idea of getting to work with him and see him sounded fantastic. It was even better when I actually liked microbiology.” Gwil looks up into Ben’s eyes. He can tell Ben is actually listening to him. Ben’s eyes are soft and engaged. Gwil feels comfortable to keep talking, “by the time I was done studying. My father’s role had changed. He had started Red Industries. There are aspects of it I have no interest in. Those are now the ones he wants me involved in.” Gwil covers his face with his hands. He rubs at his eyes before lowering his hands, “I’ll just never be enough.”

Ben reaches up and cups Gwil’s cheek, “do you like your job?”

Gwil nods, “I love my job.” Gwil also loves the feeling of Ben’s skin against his own

Ben rubs his thumb over Gwil’s prominent cheek bone, “is it enough for you?”

Gwil nods again.

Ben smiles, “just focus on that.” Ben shakes his head, ‘the way you were talking earlier- gosh, you must be smart. I can’t imagine that you wouldn't be great at your job.”

Gwil smiles, “thank you, Ben.” Gwil thinks Ben suits him better than Warren. He rests his face against Ben’s hand, still on his cheek. He closes his eyes and smiles again. He opens his eyes, making immediate eye contact with Ben. He wonders if Ben can feel how hot his cheeks feel. They just stare at each other for a few moments. Gwil breaks the silence, “tell me something.”

Ben raises an eyebrow, “just something.”

Gwil nods, “something happy. No more heavy stuff right now.”

Ben smiles, slightly chewing on his bottom lip. He leans back against the couch, moving down so he can rest his head on the back. He looks up at the ceiling and thinks. There is a lot of heavy stuff he could share. Gwil wants something happy though. Of course he wants to oblige. Ben tilts his head to look over at him, “I was a weird kid.”

Gwil can’t help chuckling. He can’t really imagine the incredibly handsome man in front of him as a weird kid. He just looks like one of those people everything always works out for.

Ben laughs and nods, “oh yeah. Very weird. I used to put all my meals down on the floor next to our cat’s food. I thought it was sad she had to eat alone.”

Gwil clutches over his heart, “that’s so sweet though. It’s not weird.”

Ben scrunches up his face, “I also thought I was part cat.”

Gwil laughs lightly, “fine. A little weird.”

Ben gently hits Gwil’s thigh with the back of his hand, “your turn.”

Gwil mirrors how Ben is sitting. He taps his fingers against his lips, “hmm.” He tries to think of something. He smiles slowly, “my mum would always sneak me ice cream.” 

Ben grins. He tries to hold the grin when he remembers that Gwil’s mum left when he was at University. If they were getting to know each other under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t know that yet.

Gwil keeps talking, “sometimes we’d have morning ice cream. She’d put it in the bowls we used for cereal. She told me that made it count as breakfast.”

Ben nods, “makes complete sense.” 

Gwil taps his finger on Ben’s knee.

Ben laughs, “yes?”

Gwil slowly smiles, “do you have ice cream?”

Ben reaches over and squeezes Gwil’s thigh, just above the knee, “let’s find out.” Ben really hopes there’s some in the freezer. 

They both get up and walk over to the kitchen. 

“Do you want anything to drink?” Ben opens the fridge door, “I’ve got a beer.”

Gwil rests his hands on Ben’s shoulders. He looks over one of them, “what do you eat?”

Ben puts his hand on one of Gwil’s. He shrugs, “I’ve been eating at work.”

Gwil dramatically sighs, “I’ve lost all hope at you having ice cream.”

Ben opens the freezer. “Oh ho!!! Look what we’ve got here.” There is actually a pint of ice cream. Ben hopes it’s not a disgusting flavor as he pulls it out. He turns it over to look at the label, “how do we feel about mint chocolate chip?”

Gwil pats Ben’s shoulders, “sounds lovely.” 

Ben points to a drawer slightly closer to Gwil, “there are spoons.” He puts the pint on the counter before pushing himself up onto it. He opens the ice cream and takes a spoon from Gwil.

Gwil just watches Ben take a bite of ice cream. He lifts an eyebrow, “no bowls?”

Ben smirks, “less dishes.”

Gwil crosses his arms over his chest, “maybe I don’t want your germs.”

Ben puts a foot between Gwil’s legs, hooks it behind his knees, and pulls so Gwil has to step closer to him, “pretty sure you weren’t worried about germs when you came over here.” Gwil blushes. Ben feels proud. He pulls Gwil closer. He talks low, “do you still want a bowl?”

Gwil shakes his head.

Ben gets another bite on his spoon. He holds it up to Gwil’s lips. He looks up into Gwil’s eyes. He can hear Gwil swallow before he slowly opens his mouth. Ben feeds Gwil the bite. He watches Gwil’s mouth close around the spoon, watches as Gwil’s lips move when Ben takes the spoon out. Ben wonders what Gwil’s lips would feel like on him. His eyes flick back up to Gwil’s eyes. 

Gwil swallows the ice cream. He’s not even sure if he tastes it. He’s too busy watching Ben’s face. He’s trying to take in all of it now that he’s close enough. Gwil looks at the ridges on the side of Ben’s nose. All the colors that make up the gorgeous green of Ben’s eyes. He notices the small freckles across his nose, cheeks, the corner of his eye. His eyes move down to Ben’s lips, plump and pink. He watches as they start moving when Ben speaks again.

“Kiss me.”

Gwil immediately looks back to his eyes.

Ben smiles bashfully, “if you want.”

Gwil takes the ice cream and spoon from Ben, placing them next to him on the counter. He steps between Ben’s legs and cups Ben’s face. He leans in, closing his eyes. Ben’s bottom lip slips between his lips as their lips meet, so Gwil slightly sucks on it. 

Ben softly moans as Gwil pulls back. Ben grins and opens his eyes. He lifts a hand to his lips, “cold.”

Gwil chuckles, “sorry.”

Ben shakes his head, “don’t be.” He grabs Gwil’s shirt and pulls him back in, hooking his legs around the back of Gwil’s thighs to hold him there. “Do you want to keep talking or do you want to do this?”

Gwil’s voice comes out as a growl, “this”

Ben smiles, “good.” He presses his lips back against Gwil’s. 

Gwil moves his hands to Ben’s hips. He pulls him closer to him. He slips one hand under Ben’s shirt. Gwil can feel Ben’s strong back muscles as Ben grips his shoulders. Gwil puts his other hand on the nape of Ben’s neck, tilting Ben’s head with his thumb to deepen the kiss. 

Ben licks into Gwil’s mouth. He has a tight enough hold on Gwil between his legs and arms, he’s pretty sure if Gwil stepped back, he’d take Ben with him. 

Gwil cards his fingers through Ben’s hair. He tugs on it just hard enough to get Ben to lean his head more to the side, allowing Gwil to kiss down the side. Gwil takes his time, kissing as much skin as he can between Ben’s ear collarbone. Ben whimpers when Gwil moves to the other side of his neck to kiss his way back up. 

Ben gets impatient. He needs to kiss Gwil again. He moves his head back and puts his lips in front of Gwil’s.

Gwil chuckles, “if you insist.”

Ben moves a hand to Gwil’s hair. It’s softer than it looks as he curls his fingers into it. Ben gently holds Gwil there when he tries to start kissing his neck again. Ben hums, “I’m not done yet.”

Gwil smiles against Ben’s mouth, “sorry, love.” Gwil nips Ben’s lip.

“Fuck,” Ben hisses. He moves his legs up to Gwil’s waist. 

Gwil thinks he’s found a new favorite activity. Kissing Ben is better than any kiss he's previously experienced. Even as it varies from rushed and passionate to languid and soft, Gwil enjoys all of it. All of it is good. 

Gwil pulls back after who knows how long. Long enough for the ice cream beside them to melt. He rests his forehead against Ben’s, letting out a contented sigh.

Ben smiles and presses a soft kiss to Gwil’s lips, “that-” Ben blows out a breath, “that was fantastic.”

Gwil smiles, “it really was.” He rubs his hands over Ben’s hips, “do you-” He doesn’t know if he wants wants to have sex with Ben now or just lie in bed next to him. Both sound pretty close to perfect ideas. Maybe Ben will just fill in his sentence with what he wants to do.

Ben smirks, “do I?” He looks at Gwil expectantly. He chuckles when Gwil just raises his eyebrows in response. Ben kisses him, “do you want to go lay down? Let things happen as they happen?”

Gwil nods, “sounds perfect.” He kisses Ben again before stepping away from the counter so Ben can hop down.

Ben stands next to the bed with his thumbs hooked in the waist of his joggers, “err, I’m”

Gwil looks up at him, “what?”

Ben starts to slightly push down his joggers, “I don’t usually sleep in these.” He stops pushing them down, “I don’t want to presume anything.”

In response, Gwil pushes down his own joggers, “not presuming. I did kind of invite myself over.”

Ben smirks, “for sex.” He pushes down his joggers

Gwil sharply inhales, “we don’t have to.” 

Ben kicks off the joggers and pulls off his shirt, “I know.” He pulls back the covers and crawls in. 

Gwil adds his shirt to the pile of clothes on the floor before joining Ben in bed. Ben moves closer to him. Gwil curls around Ben’s side, resting an arm on his stomach. “Can we talk more first?”

Ben pushes up and kisses his cheek, “I’d like that.” Ben lays back down.

Gwil follows to kiss Ben’s lips, “it’s your turn to share a story.”

Ben shakes his head, “it’s yours.”

Gwil taps his lips, “pretty sure it’s your turn, but I’ll go anyways.”

Ben smiles, “you’re so kind.” He kisses Gwil again. 

Gwil brushes some hair off Ben’s forehead, “when I was 10, I had snuck into my dad’s study to play his guitar. I accidentally broke a string. I wasn’t supposed to be in there alone. And definitely wasn’t supposed to be touching the guitar. The only solution I could come up with was running away.”

Ben tries not to laugh. He sucks on his bottom lip and nods, “sure.”

“Shh” Gwil kisses Ben quickly, “so I gather my things. I found a bag for my change of clothes, a blanket, a can of beans, a book. I shove all this in. I write a note that I've run away. Not to worry. I’ve packed all I need.” Gwil shifts so he’s laying directly on top of Ben, settled between his legs. Gwil folds his hands on Ben’s chest while he watches Ben’s face. “I get to the door to the garden and realize I’ve no where to go. I walk out into the garden. There was a large bush towards the back. If I sat behind it, I wouldn’t be visible from the house. I decided this would be my new home.” He ends with an air of finality.

Ben grins. His cheeks hurt slightly, “how long did you make it?”

Gwil laughs, “a few hours.” Ben laughs with him. “Turns out my mum was watching the entire time. She heard me packing. She watched me go out to the garden. She read the note. She noticed I didn’t walk around from the bush. She just read by a window, glancing every few sentences to see if I emerged.” Gwil sighs fondly, “when I came in, she put on a show of acting worried. Then, it turns out she can change a guitar string. We never told my father.”

“She sounds wonderful.” Ben smiles. It falters a bit. He already knows the answer, “was she there tonight?”

Gwil wants to tell Ben everything. Not just about his mum, just in general. He doesn’t want to overwhelm him though. Gwil shakes his head, “she wasn’t.” Gwil nudges Ben’s chin with his nose, “it’s your turn.”

Ben giggles, “what do you want to hear?”

Gwil makes a show of thinking about it, “what’s your family like? Do they live close by?”

Ben just stares at Gwil for a moment. He has his alias life story memorized. This part of it is just a little too similar to his own. Ben clears his throat, “There...there was an accident. It’s just me.”

“Oh Ben.” Gwil nuzzles into Ben’s neck. He whispers, “I’m so sorry.”

Ben closes his eyes and wraps his arms around Gwil. He wants to say it’s alright, but it’s really not. “Thank you.”

Gwil kisses Ben’s neck, “I’m sorry I asked.”

Ben shakes his head then leans against the side of Gwil’s, “you didn’t know. It would have come up eventually.”

Gwil can’t help smiling. He slowly lifts his head. He smiles, feeling a little guilty, “I know this is the wrong take away, but does that mean you want to see me again?”

Ben huffs then laughs. He squeezes Gwil tighter against him, “obviously.”

Gwil lays back down on Ben, “good.” He closes his eyes.

Ben plays with Gwil’s hair. He speaks so soft he’s not sure if Gwil will hear him, “Gwil?”

Gwil smiles, matching Ben’s tone, “Ben?”

Ben closes his eyes, “then can we just lay here tonight?”

Gwil kisses Ben’s neck. He speaks against it, “of course.”

Ben smiles, “can we keep talking?”

Gwil nods, “I’d like that.” Gwil kisses Ben’s neck again, this time purposefully sloppily. 

Ben laughs heartily. 

This encourages Gwil to do it more. Ben starts squirming under him. Gwil starts placing wet, open mouthed kisses on any part of Ben he can reach. He also starts tickling Ben’s sides.

Ben starts laughing so hard, he can barely breath. After a couple minutes, Ben begs Gwil to stop.

“Fine, fine.” Gwil chuckles. He moves behind Ben. He adjusts them until they are spooning. 

Ben shifts slightly, moving as close to Gwil as he can while still being comfortable. He grabs Gwil’s arm and holds it against his chest. Gwil kisses the back of Ben’s neck.

They spend a moment in comfortable silence. Gwil starts the conversation back up. They share stories until they both start falling asleep. Ben shares as much as he can. He feels guilty that he’s only sharing stories that would fit for him and for “Warren Hardy”. Gwil falls asleep first. Ben feels a sense of comfort he hasn’t experienced in. Ben can’t even remember how long. He closes his eyes, telling himself he can feel guilty in the morning.

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay between chapters

Ben wakes to a noise in the bathroom. On instinct, he grabs the gun hidden in the headboard. He hears someone clear their throat and remembers that Gwil spend the night. He starts to put the gun back when the door opens so he just shoves it under the pillow. He tries to act as though he was just stretching. 

Gwil hesitantly starts, “everything okay?”

Ben smiles and rubs his head against the pillow, “yes. Just waking up?”

Gwil leans against the doorframe, crosses his arms, then scratches at his beard with one hand, “not regretting letting me spend the night.”

 _Completely,_ Ben thinks. He smiles and turns over, “of course not.” He holds out his arms, trying to hold his smile too, “come here.”

Gwil smiles wide and lays down on top of Ben, “good morning.” He slides his hands under Ben’s shoulders, “how concerned about morning breath are we?”

Ben pushes his head up to catch Gwil’s lips. He wraps his arms and legs around Gwil before he rolls them both over so Gwil’s under him. It’s less likely that Gwil will find the barely concealed weapon now. He continues to kiss Gwil until Gwil yawns against his mouth.

Ben laughs and sits up, straddling Gwil’s hips, “am I boring you?”

Gwil shakes his head, “of course not.” He tries to pull Ben back down. Ben laughs and wiggles out of Gwil’s grasp. Gwil huffs, “it’s not even light out.”

Ben scrunches up his face like he’s thinking, “I guess I’ll forgive it then.” Ben rolls off Gwil and leaves the room.

Gwil sits up and calls out, “I thought you said you forgive it. Come back!”

Ben smirks over his shoulder, “I’m making you some tea. Can’t have you falling asleep in the middle of what I want to do to you.”

Gwil swings his legs over the edge of the bed, “what do you want to do to me?”

Ben laughs to himself, “come get some caffeine so you can find out.”

Gwil trots up behind Ben, “it’s barely 4 am. Can’t we sleep more first?”

Ben laughs, “I have a job to get to.”

Gwil sighs dramatically, “I almost forgot. I have work as well.” Gwil rubs one of his eyes as Ben gets the kettle out, “who has a party on a Thursday night?”

Ben smirks, “rich people.”

Gwil huffs a laugh, “right. Must be nice.”

This is a prime opportunity for Ben to do his job. It also could be viewed as just getting to know Gwil. Ben hates himself a bit as he asks, “with Taylor buying Red Industries, you know your father’s company.” Ben smiles at Gwil, “doesn’t that mean you can retire?”

Gwil shrugs, “it’s not fully finalized yet. I guess. I don’t know much about the deal yet. Plus, I like my job.” Gwil grabs for Ben’s hips, “are you trying to figure out if you stick with me, you can retire yourself?”

Ben puts his hands behind Gwil’s neck, “maybe.”

Gwil pulls Ben closer, “not yet. Though,” he looks around the flat, “by the looks of it, you could just support me.”

Ben shoves off him, “you said you like your job. And we just met.”

Gwil laughs and pulls Ben back in, “just teasing. You’re the one that wants to do things to me.”

Ben fakes glares at Gwil, “maybe I changed my mind.”

Gwil leans in and kisses Ben’s neck, “turn the kettle off.”

Ben moans as Gwil sucks on the skin just below his ear, “yes, dear.”

++++++++

Ben clenches his jaw as he refills his clip. He made it about five minutes at work before he came down to the shooting range. It’s always helped clear his mind. It has the added benefit of counting as work. He can sense someone standing behind him. He’s almost positive he knows who it is. He doesn’t say anything and neither do they. He pushes the full clip back into his pistol. He takes a deep breath, quickly lifts his arms, and empties the clip again. The hole on his paper target is wider than before. Ben puts the gun down, moves one of his earmuffs, “can I help you?” There’s no response so he turns around.

Joe takes his earmuffs off, “you need to turn in your report for last night.”

Ben keeps eye contact with Joe, “I turned in the tape.”

Joe takes a deep breath while he fights the urge to roll his eyes, “it’s blank.” He holds out his hand.

Ben puts his earmuffs back on. He turns around and starts loading his clip again.

Joe slaps Ben’s shoulder and takes off Ben’s earmuffs, “the watch. It probably needs a new battery.”

Ben sighs. He knew Joe would know what happened. He pulls the watch from his pocket and holds it over his shoulder for Joe.

Joe smirks as he shoves it in his pocket, “so.” He pauses. He thinks Ben seems pissed. He’s not really sure why though. “Did you make contact?”

Ben turns around, leaning back against the half wall. He feigns ignorance at what he suspects Joe really means, “you heard me make contact.”

Joe frowns, “no. Did you make CONTACT?” Joe wiggles his eyebrows.

Ben turns slightly, picks his gun up, moving the safety into place before tucking it into his thigh holster, “do you want to spar?”

Joe does roll his eyes now, “no I don’t want to fight. I want to hear how the sex was. Gwilym just looks like he’d be good at it.”

Ben lifts one eyebrow, “don’t you have work?”

Joe snorts, “don’t you?”

Ben gestures behind him, “this is my work.”

A voice off to the side suddenly speaks, startling Joe, “I’ll spar with you.”

Joe clutches over his heart, “WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM?” He mumbles to himself, “I hate working with spies.”

Rami smirks, “you’re technically one too. You should join us. You never know when they’ll need you in the field.”

Joe gets defensive, “I go in the field.”

Rami smiles as he crosses in front of Joe to leave the shooting range, “not how I meant it.”

Joe’s eyes get huge. He knows it's a very slight possibility. He prefers his safe spot in the van.

Rami calls out to Ben, “you coming, Jones?”

Ben looks up pleadingly at Joe, “don’t say anything about the watch.”

Joe scoffs, “you think I can lie to John if he asks?”

Ben shrugs, “you can try.” He starts to follow Rami.

Joe half smiles as he starts to leave too, “maybe my bad lying will keep me out of the field longer.”

Ben laughs, “it probably will.”

++++++++

When Ben walks into the gym after changing clothes to see Rami stretching, he realizes he’s never seen Rami in the field. Rami has a good reputation. Ben knows from Joe he’s quick. Rami looks lithe. Ben has also seen Rami slip and trip on nothing, so he thinks he can take him pretty easily. He’s also bigger than Rami. Ben thinks this will be enough of a distraction. 

Ben takes off his hoodie and tosses it next to the mat. Ben steps onto the mat. He suddenly feels uncomfortable when he sees the smirk on Rami’s face. He feels like he suddenly found himself in a viper pit. 

Rami stretches an arm across his chest, “can you handle this?”

Ben furrows his brow, “what are you going to do?”

Rami gives a hollow laugh, “the job. Can you handle Gwilym Lee?”

Ben swallows, “yes.”

Rami shakes his head, “right.” Rami shifts his weight. Without warning, he lunges at Ben.

“Fuck.” Ben moves just in time that Rami doesn’t hit him. Ben is able to keep just barely avoiding Rami. Rami keeps smiling though. He suspects Rami is just messing with him. Ben needs to focus fully so he doesn’t think about it. 

They continue for a while with Ben always just dodging Rami or missing his own attempts to get his hands on Rami.

Rami smirks at Ben again, “what’s wrong, Jones? Are you tired from falling for Gwil last night?”

Ben stammers, “I...I’m not...I didn’t fall” His words are cut off by Rami twisting behind Ben and getting his arms around Ben’s throat. Ben quickly gets his hands between Rami’s arms and his throat. Ben’s extra strength is enough to keep Rami from choking him. Rami gets his legs around Ben’s waist. They aren’t supposed to hurt each other while practicing but Rami doesn’t seem to be holding back. Ben doesn’t feel as guilty as he normally would when he falls backwards. 

It has the opposite effect than he was going for. Ben’s hands slip and Rami’s don’t. 

Rami tightens his arms and laughs, “your pretty face looks a little red, Ben. Do I need to take over the assignment? Oh that’s right, you probably can’t talk. Tap once for yes and twice for no.”

Ben taps Ram’s arm twice. Rami releases his hold. Ben rolls off Rami and coughs.

Rami hops right up, “I don’t believe you, but okay.”

Ben pushes himself up onto his elbows, “it’s fine. I’m not falling for Gwil.”

Rami laughs again, “Gwil.” Rami hums, “of course you aren’t.”

Ben pops up, and grabs Rami’s shirt. He backs him against the wall, “I know how to do my fucking job.”

Rami holds his hands up, “of course you do. I just saw you on camera.”

Ben scoffs and lets go of Rami, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re very defensive.” Rami talks softly, “you had a real smile when you were talking to him.”

Ben straightens his shirt, “maybe I’m just better at that part than you.”

Rami nods a bit, “I’m sure that’s it.” Rami starts moving towards the exit.

Ben knows this is just going to make him sound even more defensive than he already does, “I’m just tired from getting information out of him.”

Rami smiles over his shoulder, “I know. Of course that’s why.”

Ben sighs deeply. He rubs his hands over his face. He considers working out some more or getting his paperwork out of the way. He decides to shower before starting his write up about his night with Gwil. 

++++++++

_Motherfucker_ , Ben thinks to himself when he rounds the corner to his desk. John is propped against it. He wonders if Joe told him about the watch. That’s the only thing Ben can think of that would bring John down to this floor. Maybe he’s here to fire him. That would definitely make it easier to stop lying to Gwil. Ben could ease up on his self loathing. 

Ben gives John a polite nod, “boss.” He sits down in his chair. He opens his laptop, just watching John out of the corner of his eye. He still hasn’t said anything. Ben logs into the laptop. While the computer is processing, Ben leans back to look up at John, “can i-“

John cuts him off, “I heard you made good contact last night.”

Ben shifts in his chair, “yeah, I guess I did.” Maybe there’s monitoring in the flat that Ben somehow doesn’t know about that somehow still worked.

John continues, “our sources on Mr. Taylor reports that he’s getting his yacht refurbished. I’m sending you and Mazzello to outfit it.”

Ben exhales. This is not what he was expecting. Ben nods, “when will it be dry docked?”

John looks at his watch, “Mazzello is packing stuff up. It should be ready now. They are just replacing some furniture and other minor things. It’s at the pier.”

The cell phone Ben uses for undercover chimes on his desk. 

John looks over at it, “I see you made two good contacts last night. Nice work, Jones. If he wants to meet up, Mazzello can go alone.”

“Thank you.” Ben getting a rare compliment from John is the only thing that could squell the urge to open the text immediately, “I need to write about last night first.”

John looks back to Ben, “did you get made?”

Ben sharply inhales, “no. Of course not.”

“Good.” John points to the phone, “that’s more important for now.” John walks off without a parting word.

Ben slumps over his desk. _Guess I’ll be lying to Gwil more then._ Ben picks up his phone and smiles.

**I had a great time last night. Also, this morning.**

Ben types out his response, **does this mean it’s not too early to ask to see you again?** Ben shakes his leg, watching the ellipses on his phone.

**What are you doing for supper?**

Ben grins. **Hopefully sharing a meal with you. My place, 7 pm?** Ben still doesn’t have food at the flat. If he’s helping Joe, he won’t have time. He opens his phone again. **Can you cook? :)**

**You find some wine. I’ll bring some food.**

Ben bites his lip, trying not to smile too wide, as he stands to go help Joe.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a time jump in the middle of the chapter, just in case I didn’t make that clear enough.

Ben spent all weekend with Gwil. It was one of the best weekends he’s had in a while. Strictly speaking, he doesn’t really have weekends. But it was some of the best days off. Gwil came over for dinner Friday night and spent the night again. They wandered over to Gwil’s mid Saturday so he could get a change of clothes. They ended up just saying there until Sunday afternoon. They watched movies and made meals together. Ben read one of Gwil’s books while Gwil read some studies in a scientific magazine. It was all so domestic. Ben wanted to throw up a little when he put a bug on Gwil’s phone Sunday evening before he left.

“Earth to Jones.”

Ben’s attention snapped back to Joe.

Joe stood up straight, “I know I’m rarely out of the van for field work, but it’s my understanding you’re supposed to have my back.”

Ben rolled his eyes, “I do.”

Joe replied dryly, “right. You weren’t daydreaming or anything.”

Ben crossed his arms, “are you done?” He looked into the box Joe was working on, “I could have done this alone.”

Joe picked some pliers out of his bag, “I’m pretty sure even the electric company sends two people.” Joe glances up, “you think cause you installed a few hidden cameras on a boat, you’re an expert now?”

“Course not.” Ben looks out towards the street. No one seems to be watching them. He knows Joe tapped into the CCTV in the area to review later and double check. They are currently installing, or Joe is, a device to get more information about the security system for Red Industries. 

Joe smirks as he continues working, “has Gwil called you his boyfriend yet?”

Ben straightens up, “no. It’s been four days.”

Joe nods, trying not to laugh, “are you checking his phone for evidence of evil deeds or his romantic intentions for you?”

“Could you hurry up? The longer we’re here. The more likely he is to see me.” Ben pulls out his phone, checking to see if Gwil’s still at work. His location is almost on top of Ben’s. There’s no new information in the app Ben installed that mirrors Gwil’s phone activity. Ben suspects he was busy working. He puts his phone away. 

When Ben was following Gwil to work this morning, he kept watching Gwil pull out his phone then put it back in his pocket after a few moments. Ben was able to see all the messages Gwil almost sent him. Ben was tempted to wait to see which message Gwil finally decided on. He decided to let Gwil off easy. Ben pulls his phone back out and texts Gwil, “ **do you need a night off from me or do you want to get supper?”**

About ten minutes later, Joe is done and Ben still doesn’t have a text message back from Gwil. Ben takes down the work sign they put up while Joe puts his tools back in his bag. They walk back to the van. Joe steps into the back. The computer is already getting information off Red Industries. 

Joe claps his hands once and rubs them together, “I did a great job.” He looks up at Ben, “you did a medium job.”

Ben rolls his eyes, “can we go?”

Joe’s brow furrows, “don’t you need to keep an eye on your sex toy?”

“We haven’t had sex.” Ben looks at his lap, picking at a string on the side of his coveralls.

Joe scrambles back into the front seat, “are you serious? Why not?”

Ben laughs at the eager look on Joe’s face, “we...I...we just haven’t.”

Joe pouts, “how am I supposed to live through your sex life if you aren’t having one?”

Ben makes a face but then can’t help smiling, “I’m sure there are plenty of people at work who’s sex life you can listen in on, if you’re wanting to be a pervert.”

Joe laughs, “it’s not as weird when you tell me about it anyways.” Joe chews on his lip for a few moments, “so, are you going to tell me what you have done or do I have to ask?”

Ben stares out the windshield for a while. Over the weekend, there was plenty of making out, even some wandering hands. They just never did more than that. They’d either start making out again or get distracted talking. Given how ready Gwil seemed to have sex when leaving they party, Ben isn’t sure why they haven’t. While Ben is sure he would thoroughly enjoy it, it doesn’t seem overly necessary. He’s enjoying their time without it. 

Joe grins, “are you thinking about his dick? Is it big?”

Ben laughs and shakes his head, “I’m not thinking about his dick.”

Joe grins wider, “but it is big?!”

Ben laughs, “I’m not telling you.”

Joe raises his eyebrows, “maybe Rami is right. You are falling for him.”

Ben groans, “don’t you start. It’s fine.”

“Sure.” Joe starts the engine, “so should I just drop you at his apartment then?”

Ben can’t help laughing, “no.”

Joe pulls into traffic, “I assume that’s cause he’s going to come over to your house.”

Ben is sure Joe is right, but just ignores him as they drive back to the agency.

++++++++

Gwil closes the airlock door. They aren’t sure of the virulence of the new strain yet so he’s working in the Biosafety level 4 containment area today. When he first started working with pathogens, he thought this would be a stressful environment to work in but he finds the whirl of the air in his positive pressure suit soothing. 

He puts on his suit and presses the button to enter level 4. He’s barely sitting down in front of the safety cabinet when the intercom goes off. 

Gwil sighs. He turns around to hit the speaker. He’s very glad no one can see him roll his eyes when his father’s voice comes out.

“Gwilym, I didn’t know you were here.”

Gwil sits back down in front of the cabinet. He feels like he’s screaming through the pressure suit, “I just got in here. Can I come see you when I’m done?”

Gwil isn’t sure if he hears a sigh or not. Brian speaks again, “did you see my note on your desk to come find me right away?”

Gwil hesitates. He did see the note. He just didn’t want to go talk to him. He was in a great mood this morning. He’s spent the last four weeks with Ben whenever he wasn’t at work. They had a particularly good morning. Ben always wakes up early. Sometimes Gwil suspects he doesn’t sleep much. This morning, Ben woke up about 15 minutes earlier than usual during the week and spent those euphoric 15 minutes with his mouth on Gwil. Gwil smiles softly to himself. It falls when his father starts talking again.

“Gwilym. Did you hear me?”

Gwil clears his throat, “yeah, yeah. I did find the note. I just wanted to get a start on the incubation first.” Gwil feels bad about the slight fib. He did want to get started but he was also putting off going to see him and would have found anything to delay that. 

Gwil knows he hears Brian sigh this time. The annoyance is also clear in Brian’s voice. “I’m not telling you to rush and be unsafe, but come see me as soon as you’re clean.”

Gwil tries to keep his voice neutral, “yes, father.” The speaker turns off. Gwil fights the urge to lean his head against the cabinet. Gwil would never be unsafe in the Biosafety levels but he does draw out his work, triple checking everything, to take as long as possible. 

Once he’s done for the morning and clean again, he goes up a few floors to his father's office. Brian’s assistant gives him a polite smile while he continues typing. Gwil knocks on the door a few times. 

Brian calls out, “come in.” Gwil walks in and notices Brian glancing at the clock. “Everything done?”

Gwil nods as he sits. He half smiles, “what was such a rush?”

Brian crossed his arms on the desk, “I’ve put this off as long as I can. Are you going to accept the CEO position or not?”

Gwil takes a deep breath, “are you going to tell me the rest of the details of the deal or not? Or why you are selling the company to begin with?” 

Brian taps his nails on the desk, “part of the agreement with Mr. Taylor was he would let me name you CEO as long as you just agreed. Can’t you just trust me?’

Gwil sat back in the chair as he covered his face with his hands to muffle his frustrated groan. He looks back at Brian. He’s just looked at Gwil expectantly. Gwil loses what little composure he has left, “why should I trust you when you won’t tell me why you’re selling your life’s work? You lost mam over it. I grew up hearing we’d work together one day. That hasn’t really happened. Now you’re just giving it up? For what? Money?”

Brian’s eyes narrow, “I’m doing this for you.”

Gwil looks down at his feet and laughs without any humor. He mumbles, “of course you couldn’t just ask what I want.” 

“Do you want to say that while looking at me?”

Gwil looks up. His dad looks furious. Gwil takes a few steadying breaths, “if you can tell me why, I’ll actually consider it.”

Brian taps his fingers a few more times, “we’ve been invited out of Roger’s yacht this weekend. You can ask him for the details. Bring your boyfriend if he’s not already coming.”

Gwil things this is the best he’s going to get. He stands up, “I’ll ask B,” Gwil decides to keep that name to himself, “I’ll ask Warren tonight and let you know tomorrow.”

++++++++

Gwil went directly over to Ben’s house. He didn’t really mean to but things of his had started accumulating over there. He knew there was a pair of sweats waiting for him. And Ben. Ben was much more important.

The door to Ben’s flat is unlocked when he tries it. He smiles at Ben sitting on the couch. He’s got a book in one hand and the other hand is twisting through his curls. Gwil is sure he heard him come in but doesn’t look up.

Gwil walks over and immediately falls onto the couch. He didn’t exactly mean to do this part, but he’s facedown in Ben’s lap.

Ben chuckles, “are you tired or returning the favor from this morning?

Gwil grumbles against Ben’s thigh.

Ben runs his hands through Gwil’s hair. He speaks softly, “what happened?”

Gwil turns over to face Ben, “we’ve been invited on a yacht.”

Ben smiles, trying not to laugh. He bites his lip as he pushes the hair that flopped on Gwil’s forehead back, “that doesn’t sound so bad.”

Gwil sighs, “it’s not.” He smiles at Ben, “that could actually be nice.” He closes his eyes as Ben plays with his hair more. He slowly opens his eyes, “my father is still being very cryptic. He wants to make me CEO as part of the deal but won’t tell me why he’s even doing it. He told me to ask Roger myself or just agree and find out afterwards.”

Ben bites his lip. The line between spy and boyfriend is so blurry these days. He still hates it. Gwil deserves better than Ben can offer him right now. Ben tried telling Gwil that without telling him why when he accidentally called Ben his boyfriend, but Gwil wouldn’t hear it. 

He rubs his thumb over Gwil’s cheekbone, “do you want me to be there when you ask Roger? Or do you want to just agree?”

Gwil smiles slightly, “you’d come with me to ask? I like my job. I don’t want to agree if it’s not worth it.”

Ben nods, “course I would.” Ben puts his hands under Gwil’s shoulders and pushes him up to a sitting position.

Gwil groans, “but I was comfortable. What are you doing?”

Ben shifts so he’s straddling Gwil.

“Oh!” Gwil wraps his arms around Ben’s hips, “this is what you’re doing.” Gwil shifts Ben into a slight more comfortable position. “This is good too.”

Ben kisses Gwil’s neck. He speaks against the skin, “I’m beginning to think I’d do about anything for you.” This is true enough for Ben that he considers quitting his job multiple times a day.

Gwil grins, “oh yeah?” His eyes flutter as Ben continues to kiss his neck. Gwil has developed strong feelings for Ben. It makes him happy to hear that Ben might have similar thoughts.

Ben nods, “mmm hmm.” He nips at Gwil’s ear, “is there anything particular you want right now?”

“I’m good with just spending time with you. We could go for supper,” Gwil offers.

Ben pulls back, resting his hands on Gwil’s shoulders, “Gwil! Really?”

“What? It’s a little early but by the time we decide,” Gwil says as he rubs his hands over Ben’s thighs.

Ben tries not to laugh at the innocent expression on Gwil’s face. He rolls his hips against Gwil to emphasize what he means, “anything other than supper?”

Gwil’s eyes widen, “oh!” Gwil tries not to get too excited, “do you mean?” He trails off.

Ben cups Gwil’s face between his hands, “do you want to have sex?”

Gwil nods eagerly, “yes. Yeah. I would very much.”

Ben smiles as he leans in to kiss Gwil, “good.”

Gwil slightly pulls back, “did you want to have sex now or…”

Ben laughs lightly and stands up, holding out his hand to help Gwil up, “we can feed you after.”

Gwil smiles wide as Ben leads him into the bedroom, “sounds like a lovely evening.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I will update the tags and the rating as the story develops. Right now there will not be graphic violence. It will not be any worse than like Mission Impossible movies. I also won’t describe anything too detailed. 
> 
> The rating will increase as necessary for any physical relationships that develop.
> 
> I’ve also never tried a Spy AU, so we’ll see how this goes.


End file.
